Windpower v solar power

I meant that the high winds at the weekend have caused devastation to the solar panel farm.
That makes sense.

I guess the high winds can also cause disruption and damage to wind farms as well.

Interesting enough, I recently read an article about some prototype testing of some geothermal heating/energy production system using the "warm" water from flooded decommissioned coal mines, and how its effectively carbon neutral.

I guess the issues with most renewable energy sources (give my limited knowledge) is that they are great for base loads and steady outputs, but cant really deal with peak demands and short term transient load requirements.

I have also seen a project using 2nd life electric vehicle batteries being built into 2-3 MW battery banks, and being used to take the peaks in energy demands alongside solar and wind turbines. When there is no peak, such as night time etc, the batteries can be steadily charged from the solar or wind, then discharge rapidly when there is a peak demand. Pretty cool.

I dont recall who posted this on here, but I am addicted to this website that shows where the energy in the UK national grid comes from.

https://grid.iamkate.com/
 
TBF we need to use all the alternative energy sources we can. In this country, with Scotland being the windiest country on earth, we definitely benefit more from wind than solar. Horses for course though: Australia has great wind generation but simple epic Solar capability. Mountainous and wet countries like Norway can, and do, get by on Hydro. Much rarer but certain countries, like Iceland can use geothermal.

It's all about storing it though. I like the deal we have with Norway: When we have too much wind power we send it to them to pump water uphill for us. When we don't have enough wind we just ask for hydro from the pumped water. This is what the future needs to be, every source integrated so we have all the energy we need and (crucially) when we need it. With the exception of hydro most renewables suffer from the fact they can't be controlled by us.
 
Although from Billys graph it doesn't like like we are using much of that pumped storage. Mind looking at the interconnector looks like we are currently sending out our wind power.
 
TBF we need to use all the alternative energy sources we can. In this country, with Scotland being the windiest country on earth, we definitely benefit more from wind than solar. Horses for course though: Australia has great wind generation but simple epic Solar capability. Mountainous and wet countries like Norway can, and do, get by on Hydro. Much rarer but certain countries, like Iceland can use geothermal.

It's all about storing it though. I like the deal we have with Norway: When we have too much wind power we send it to them to pump water uphill for us. When we don't have enough wind we just ask for hydro from the pumped water. This is what the future needs to be, every source integrated so we have all the energy we need and (crucially) when we need it. With the exception of hydro most renewables suffer from the fact they can't be controlled by us.

I have also heard of another project related to a wind farm, where the grid cant take all the electricity generated, and it also cant be stored as you mentioned. So they are building an offshore rig type installation that is connected to the wind farm.

The rig used the "excess" electricity to create green hydrogen, which can then be piped ashore and stored wherever, and used for fuel cells or other electricity production etc. I must admit that the energy conversion from electricity into hydrogen then back into electrify didnt really make sense to me, but I guess the benefit is all around the distribution and storage of the energy, making it available to those who need it when they need it.
 
I have also heard of another project related to a wind farm, where the grid cant take all the electricity generated, and it also cant be stored as you mentioned. So they are building an offshore rig type installation that is connected to the wind farm.

The rig used the "excess" electricity to create green hydrogen, which can then be piped ashore and stored wherever, and used for fuel cells or other electricity production etc. I must admit that the energy conversion from electricity into hydrogen then back into electrify didnt really make sense to me, but I guess the benefit is all around the distribution and storage of the energy, making it available to those who need it when they need it.
Yeah people are having to come up with innovative means of storing electricity. Converting it to green hydrogen uses energy but I guess they've done the sums and the losses are worth it for the storing capacity. I've just invested in a company that is creating supercapacitorss so energy can be stored and distributed when needed. Again there are losses involved but it's better then switching off a wind farm because you have nowhere to store the electricity
 
Don't they stop the wind turbines, when it gets "too windy", as it can send them into overloading, effectively they want to take off like an aeroplane? Not sure how true that is mind, but I've worked on a few wind farm jobs, although not related to the turbines.

I think I read somewhere where they use excess electricity to pump water up a hill, behind a dam, and then open the dam and the water powers a generator when the electric is needed? Not exactly efficient, but better than not having it at all, or it going to waste. Suppose all the storage methods will get better over time.

Surprised hydrogen is one of the storage methods used mind, must be working/ one of the best ways, for that particular location, if they're doing that.
 
Keep on advancing the renewables by all means, but the smartest way to go is nuclear and invest in the nextgen reactor plants, which are very safe, carbon neutral and can even use some of the fuel from old reactors.
 
Keep on advancing the renewables by all means, but the smartest way to go is nuclear and invest in the nextgen reactor plants, which are very safe, carbon neutral and can even use some of the fuel from old reactors.
I think Nuclear scares too many people, when it really shouldn't, not now anyway.

Nuclear Fusion is probably the overall solution, but we're at least a decade away from the first viable plant, aren't we?
 
Keep on advancing the renewables by all means, but the smartest way to go is nuclear and invest in the nextgen reactor plants, which are very safe, carbon neutral and can even use some of the fuel from old reactors.
Usable fusion reactors are getting relatively close now. I know this has been harpies on about for decades but some solid research on experimental reactors is ongoing.

It's the way forward.
 
...read an article about some prototype testing of some geothermal heating/energy production system using the "warm" water from flooded decommissioned coal mines, and how its effectively carbon neutral.
Worked on a project to build a district heating system using the mine water in Horden and with the water at the surface they were also going to try and recover rare earth minerals that had been dissolved in it before sending it back down into the mine, really interesting stuff. Unfortunately it was EU funded so was cancelled after Brexit.
 
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